With the busyness and indulgence of Christmas behind us, the post-eggnog countdown to 2015 is on. Whether you’re headed to a shindig with streamers or heading to the living room with a bowl of popcorn, New Year’s Eve is a time to reflect on the past year and look forward to the next. As we look back on another memorable year filled with new and returning friends and guests, we’re especially grateful for this incredible part of the world we get to call home.

Women instinctively know that there’s no better way to push pause on life’s demands, curve-balls, and hectic work and family schedules than a girls’ weekend. It’s an estrogen-fuelled almost primal need for getaway therapy – a soul-cleansing, no-brainer, no-men escape. And when the rally cry goes out, we answer the call with our Girlfriend Getaway Package.

If you’re a fan of wearing jewelry, you know the difference between everyday earrings, bracelets and necklaces versus “statement pieces.” But what if you could find jewelry that makes a unique “everyday statement?” Talented Tofino artist Christy Feaver creates just that with her handcrafted metal collection inspired by love, life, the sea and her travels in the South Pacific.

From the symbolic 2010 Olympic Winter Games inukshuk, to totem poles, ornate masks and sculptures you see showcased all over British Columbia, it’s easy to get immersed in Canada's First Nations art scene. And its artists like Roy Henry Vickers that have put First Nations art on the map and walls of galleries worldwide with a colourful 40-year career.

Tofino’s celebrated foodie scene has a bold, new restaurant to add to the mix – the much-anticipated Wolf in the Fog is now open. They’re calling it “a culinary experience that matches the intensity of Tofino’s wild and dramatic environment.” How intense? A few years ago, all three of the (now) owners were on their way to an early morning fishing trip. It was a foggy Tofino morning, but right there on the very corner the restaurant now sits, they saw a wolf. Hmmm… sounds like chef dreams in the making, complete with a name.

Next weekend, competitors in the Canadian Surf Championships will be ripping it up for $25,000 in cash and prizes, right here in Cox Bay at the 2014 Rip Curl Pro Tofino. Are you staying with us over the May 31st weekend? Get ready for front-row seats to Canada’s best wave-riders, steps from your beachfront suite.

[Applause + ovations] Happy Earth Day! It’s April 22nd, which means the largest environmental event in the world is happening TODAY as more than a billion people in towns and cities around the globe celebrate this planet we all get to revolve on. More importantly, Earth Day shines a sustainable spotlight on how we keep it revolving. Here in Tofino, we take it a little further with a seven-day focus, turning one day into Earth Week–April 20 to 27. (Pssst! Not to brag but we have some creative license as a designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.)

The 4th annual FEAST Tofino is gearing up for its delicious May 1 to 29 culinary journey with guest chefs, 17 participating restaurants, 16 events and climbing. One of those events just happens to be right here at Pacific Sands when we spark up our beachfront Gazebo BBQs on Friday, May 16.

Naturally, romance flourishes here year round, but every February in celebration of that Saint named Valentine, there’s a heightened sense of that lovin’ feeling. So we couldn’t let the month go by without telling you about Chocolate Tofino, a chocolate-lover’s happy place named “The best handmade chocolates and gelato on Vancouver Island” by Frommer’s Travel Guides.

As you can appreciate, everything about the Tofino region’s rainforest ecosystem involves conservation efforts. From protecting shorelines and wildlife to sustainable living, if it’s something environmentally oriented, the Raincoast Education Society (RES) is involved. And whether it’s the full-scale UNESCO Biosphere Reserve calibre projects RES has on the go, or Kids Camps right here at Pacific Sands, we’re big fans on every level.